Annular spaces and other cavities, particularly in downhole and drilling environments may be bifurcated, isolated, sealed, or otherwise divided by a packer. The packer is a mechanical device that may be placed in the appropriate location before being expanded by some means to both remain solidly in place and to seal the bore or other cavity. Other packers are sized appropriately such that they are not expanded after being set in place but fit tightly enough to perform their function. A part of the packer may include a material that reacts with the fluids in the well bore to swell in order to create an effective seal. The total amount of swelling of such a material, as well as the rate of swell, is critical to both proper placement and function of the associated packer.
What is needed is a device and composition for a seal that addresses the above, and related, issues.